Key Highlights
- The 15th Monaco Historic Grand Prix concluded on Sunday, 26 April with eight races compressed into a single demanding day.
- Stuart Hall and Michael Lyons each secured two victories, defining the sporting story of the weekend.
- Series ran from pre-war machinery to 1980s Formula 1, with cars from Maserati, Ferrari, Lotus, McLaren, Surtees, Hesketh and Williams.
- Record attendance underlined the event’s status, with the next edition scheduled for 5–7 May 2028.
An Early Start, A Spectacular Show
The 15th Monaco Historic Grand Prix demanded an early start, with engines firing at 8 a.m. for the A2 Series. Mark Shaw, in the Scarab F1 #48, delivered a controlled drive to win ahead of Max Smith-Hilliard in the Lotus 16 #42 and John Spiers in the Maserati 250F #34, a podium that evoked the front-engined era of Grand Prix racing.
The A1 Series that followed produced one of the day’s most dramatic finishes. Richard Bradley looked set for victory in his Maserati 4CL #30 until the car stalled at the final corner of the last lap, allowing Patrick Blakeney-Edwards in the Frazer-Nash Monoplace #42 to sweep past and claim a win that felt unmistakably Monaco.
Lotus, Ferrari and Midday Duels
Series B delivered an intense three-way fight. The Lotus 21s of Stuart Hall (#36) and Mark Shaw (#7) traded places with Joseph Colasacco’s Ferrari 1512 #4, the Ferrari ultimately taking the flag ahead of Shaw and Hall in a compact reminder of the rear-engined revolution of the early 1960s.
In Series D, misfortune struck Jean Alesi before the race began. Despite extensive repair work on his 1969 Ferrari 312 after a Friday accident, the car broke down minutes before grid formation. Michael Lyons seized the opportunity, guiding his Surtees TS9 #27 to victory ahead of Ewen Sergison (Surtees TS9B #26) and Philipp Buhofer (Brabham BT33 #6), opening his own tally for the weekend.
Rain Arrives, And So Does Drama
Rain, long absent from the script, arrived late in the programme. At the close of the Series E race several cars were caught out at Rascasse, but Stuart Hall kept his McLaren M23 #33 under control to win ahead of Nicholas Padmore (Lotus 77 #5) and Guillaume Roman (Ensign N175 #37), who crossed the line under yellow flags.
Earlier, Series C had belonged to Richard Wilson in the Maserati 250S #56, who led home Frédéric Wakeman in the Cooper-Jaguar T38 #76. Mathias Sielecki, in the Aston Martin DB3S #70, secured third with a late-race move that drew clear appreciation from the grandstands and underlined how hard these period sports cars are still driven.
Hall and Lyons Double Up
In Series F, Michael Lyons added a second win in the Hesketh 308E #24, finishing in front of Frédéric Rouvier (Tyrrell 010 #34) and Sam Hancock (Fittipaldi F8 #15), whose duel for second provided much of the race’s tension. The G Series closed the programme with a safety-car-disrupted finale in which Stuart Hall, driving the March 821 #18, prevailed over Alex Kapadia (Williams FW08 #6) and Werner D’Ansembourg (Brabham BT49D #2).
Why It Matters
The Monaco Historic Grand Prix is more than a vintage racing weekend; it acts as a rehearsal for the modern Grand Prix and a reference point for collectors across the GCC who see motorsport heritage and fine watchmaking as closely aligned. With record attendance and machinery spanning almost every era of single-seater competition, the 15th edition reaffirmed Monaco’s role as the most evocative stage on which racing history is kept alive in motion.
Mark your calendar: the 16th Monaco Historic Grand Prix is scheduled for 5–7 May 2028. Sign up to our newsletter to receive the next chapter of motorsport and watchmaking coverage straight to your inbox.
